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The Daily Sweat: The Padres' bats have been cold since adding Juan Soto

The San Diego Padres’ bats have been quiet since making a blockbuster trade for Juan Soto.

Soto was acquired from the Washington Nationals along with Josh Bell in the biggest move of the MLB trade deadline, but the early returns haven’t been positive. The Padres are just 1-5 with Soto in the lineup and are currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

The Padres were swept over the weekend by the Los Angeles Dodgers and then lost their series opener against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. In Monday’s 1-0 loss, the Padres could muster only five hits. The Padres were outscored 20-4 by the Dodgers in that sweep and now have been shut out in back-to-back ballgames.

Mired in a 23-inning scoreless streak, the Padres’ lead for the third wild card spot in the National League is down to just one game.

In Game 2 of the three-game series with the Giants, the Padres will have Joe Musgrove on the mound opposite Alex Cobb. Musgrove, a first-time All-Star, has had a strong year but is coming off his worst outing of the season last week. He allowed eight hits and six earned runs in just 4.2 innings in a 7-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies. The Padres have lost in six of his last seven starts.

In two starts against the Giants, though, Musgrove has been dominant. He’s tossed 14 combined innings without allowing a single run. For Tuesday night’s game, the Padres are -175 favorites at BetMGM with the Giants set as +145 underdogs. The Giants are just 7-17 straight-up as road underdogs this season.

With so much star-power in the lineup — and more coming in the form of Fernando Tatis Jr. — you have to think the Padres will snap out of this offensive funk soon. And this is a team that could badly use a win with an East Coast road trip on the horizon. Maybe they can get hot starting Tuesday night.

San Diego Padres' Juan Soto batting during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Juan Soto batting during the first inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

What else is going on in MLB?

In the NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals now hold a two-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals have won seven straight while the Brewers have scuffled badly since the curious Josh Hader trade.

The Cardinals will look to keep their winning ways going as -165 road favorites against the Colorado Rockies, who are +140 home underdogs. The Brewers, meanwhile, are -160 favorites at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays, at 58-50, are one of many teams in a tight AL wild-card chase.

Elsewhere, the Seattle Mariners — another team in the wild card hunt — are +105 underdogs at home against the New York Yankees. The Yankees, -130 favorites, snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Mariners on Monday night. In the 9-4 win, Aaron Judge hit his 44th homer of the season.

In all, there are 16 MLB games to bet on, starting in the afternoon with the Chicago White Sox in Kansas City for a double-header with the Royals. The White Sox are two games out of first in the AL Central.

Is there anything else to bet on?

There are three WNBA games on the schedule, including the Chicago Sky as 4.5-point home favorites over the Seattle Storm. Chicago has the league’s best record at 25-8 and is looking to clinch home-court advantage throughout the upcoming playoffs.

You also may be compelled to look ahead to Thursday night’s NFL preseason action. There are two games with the New England Patriots hosting the New York Giants and the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Tennessee Titans. The Giants are 1.5-point favorites at BetMGM while the Ravens are favored by 3.5.

What’s the best bet?

I’ll take the Philadelphia Phillies on the run line (-1.5) against the Miami Marlins at -115. The Phillies have been mashing lately, have ace Zack Wheeler on the mound and quietly have assembled an excellent bullpen.

The Phillies have won 11 of their last 13, so I’ll ride with them here.